The Muni Metro subway tunnel under Market Street is shut down for the rest of the night after a car drove into the tunnel at the Embarcadero on Saturday afternoon, disrupting train service and confusing dozens of commuters.
There will be no trains at Van Ness, Civic Center, Powell, Montgomery or Embarcadero stations until service resumes, likely tomorrow morning.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s backup options are:
- K-Ingleside, L-Taraval and M-Oceanview trains heading downtown turn around at Church Station instead of continuing into the Market Street subway
- N-Judah trains heading downtown turn around before entering the subway
- Bus shuttles run in both directions between Market and Castro streets, and the Caltrain station at Fourth and King streets
- BART will continue running trains between the Embarcadero and Balboa Park
The slowdown began in the late afternoon. SFMTA posted an alert at 3:46 p.m. that a car had “entered the trackway” at the Embarcadero.
“Market St. subway service between Van Ness and Embarcadero will remain down for the remainder of the night for trackway inspection & repairs,” the agency wrote.
The mishap surprised passengers and SFMTA workers alike.
On Saturday afternoon, hordes of commuters confusedly filed out of the N-Judah going towards Caltrain, after it unexpectedly stopped at Church and Duboce streets.
The driver shouted at the passengers to get out of the train, directing most to an alternative shuttle. “I don’t know what’s going on either,” the driver said, when asked by a frustrated passenger why the line had stopped. “Apparently someone drove in — guess they weren’t paying attention.”
Some who had not yet heard the news waited by the stop, hoping to catch the next bus.
